Monthly Archives: December 2015

January launches 2016 in clouds of soft, swirling fog. It’s a fitting start, given the atmosphere that will be with us through the summer. Grab your favorite grounding stones; turn on your fog lights and internal GPS. They are in for a workout.

What is real and what is an illusion is an ongoing puzzle, and this month puts us through our paces grappling with it. The origin of the puzzle is still going strong, a shoving match between forces of structure and order (Saturn) and forces that evade and dissolve structure and order (Neptune).

Now comes a companion influence that not only amplifies vagueness, confusion and reasons to question someone’s sanity, but also makes them inescapable and personal. This one holds the promise of epiphanies, clarity and mundane, bankable answers by the end of the month. Hang on to that as the journey progresses, because it promises one weird ride indeed.

Just when our minds are on the brink of flying again, finally, we plummet back to earth. January brings a confounding jumble of snarls, glitches and malfunctions in communicating and getting around. Yes, it’s time again for Mercury retrograde, when the usual rules of operation go out the window for information flow, technology and transportation.

This year has four Mercury retrogrades instead of the usual three. The first one runs from January 5 – 25. It starts with the motivation in place to confront, dive deep and research, qualities that come in handy for this transit. That comes when Mars, ruler of our drive, plunges into Scorpio on January 3. He kicks Mercury as the messenger slows to turn around on Jan. 5, and off we go.

He’s just getting a taste of objectivity and swift-footedness at the gateway of Aquarius when the about-face drags him back down to the methodical, practical, long-term perspective of Capricorn, on Jan. 8. Brace to be hypersensitive to all. His return to this terrain comes with a triple whammy of practicalities: impulses to rethink, reorganize and improve (thank Jupiter turning retrograde in Virgo on the 7th), a decided seriousness in matters of the heart and money (Venus meeting Saturn on the 8th) and the Capricorn New Moon (also on the 8th), which launches a four-week refresher course in adulthood.

For the rest of the retrograde, mishaps, confusion and deceptions will involve or lead to consequences, responsibility, ramifications and real-world costs, some of which touch on relationships and financial arrangements. Use the trip-ups as an opportunity to learn more about the structures and goals emerging from the last few years of upheaval. Be on the lookout for greater understanding and self-acceptance (even optimism!) on the 14th, new perspectives on the 20th and 31st, and profound clarity and determination on the 22nd and 30th.

It’s not all work and no play (though at times you may wonder). Venus is in happy-go-lucky mode most of the month, encouraging bright spirits and the ability to laugh at the ongoing carnival show. Desires grab the steering wheel by the 12th as wild cards and breakthroughs shake up relationships and other matters that are deeply important to us. The aftermath is personal satisfaction, the aforementioned understanding and self-acceptance, and shouting all of that to the world. (Or at least, someone closely connected to the saga.) Following that comes wanting more, more, more — contact, socializing, love, cash, you name it — with a light, loving touch of empathy and compassion that could yield real-world magic. (Or the treatment for a chick flick.)

Cobwebs begin clearing when the Sun enters Aquarius on the 20th. They blow out noticeably by the Full Moon in that sign on the 23rd. Tilted into new perspectives, our hearts and mode of relating put the desire for fun aside and focus on long-term value, with Venus moving into Capricorn. We aren’t laughing so much anymore; we’re tapping a finger on the table and saying, “Ante up.” Cue “Santa Baby;” it’ll fit, no matter what the calendar says.

We may well get some of what we ask for, in tangible, reliable form. An intangible but no less valuable bonus is on the way as well. The month ends with a neat tie-in to the source of that ongoing question, what is real and what is illusion. Venus, goddess of all we hold dear, is under the command of Saturn (lord of structure, remember) and receives a helping hand on the 30th from Neptune (ruler of all ways of escaping from or transcending earthly existence). As a door opens between the cosmic overseers of earthly and highest love, real magic can show up here on terra firma. The opportunity is at hand for a dream coming into physical being. Don’t just stand there. Make like a midwife and coach it out.

The holiday season isn’t over yet, but a part of us is already saying “Happy Trails.” Okay, so some of what’s said won’t be quite so … gentle.) Enjoy the moments of moving on, and moving toward. Rough magic is afoot.

The heavens are giving a phenomenal boost to the Christmas season this year. The day that celebrates a child’s birth sees the moon full in Cancer, the sign of motherhood, home, family and tradition. It’s an appropriate placement, given how associated this time is with family gatherings, festive meals and time-honored rituals. True, all of these have a way of adorning emotional baggage, but don’t be so sure the usual unpleasantness is in store this week. It has the potential for a surprisingly sweet, yummy time, a swelling of hearts and a well-needed respite from the harshness of recent weeks.

Emotions are running high. The Moon is in her home base, which encourages hypersensitivity, even in the Scrooges among us, and turns emotional barometers up to 11. For a change, our feelings are actually lining up with the emphasis of this time of year. Cues for how to feel and act may be bombarding us in stores, on TV and online, but they are not what’s triggering the emotions cresting within us. Whether you celebrate this holiday or not, whether you’re with family, stuck at work or waiting out the long weekend on your lonesome, you’re likely to be riding a wave of nostalgia, sentimentality and renewed appreciation of blood and chosen bonds.

The event and the days around it are occupying their own extraordinary spot on the time/space continuum. This Moon culminates amid clouds of …. well, no one knows quite what. We’re in a fuzzy-woozy atmosphere that feels unhinged from normal reality. That atmosphere is with us for the foreseeable future, thanks to an ongoing clash between Saturn, lord of order, and Neptune, lord of formlessness and transcendence. This Full Moon is in a direct, easy flow to the magical, unearthly, illusory end of that clash, which pushes this week’s experiences into a sweetness bordering on cinematic.

The link to Neptune is pouring glamour into the swirling wisps and clouds and fog that envelop life now. They’re filling with gentleness, kindness, tenderness and compassion as well. Breathe them in deeply; they are a healing mist, and they are spanning timelines and dimensions. They teem with the best qualities of any Christmastime you’ve experienced, along with the best qualities you’ve not yet enjoyed. You may be surprisingly, acutely aware of how deeply connected you feel to the people around you (yes, even your relatives; even the people for whom you have a carefully compiled list of grievances to air). This may include recognizing the role that has been played for you by gatherings and relationships you have taken for granted, and at times resented. Even if you’re alone, you’ll likely wise up to what you need in order to feel safe, secure and loved (and come away determined to bring that into your life).

Some moments and interactions may feel uncommonly precious, thanks to a nagging realization that this experience will not last and will not come again in quite this form. Savor the moment and the people who are sharing it with you. Next year’s Christmas season and late-winter gatherings will have a different configuration; everyone is moving on. Your exit cue will begin tugging at you on the 25th itself, in the midst of the day’s activities, when Uranus the awakener stations direct and permanently tilts your perspective. You may be opening presents, giving a hug, changing the TV channel, helping yourself to pie and coffee. Suddenly you will know you’re heading off, maybe not that day, but soon, and into your own direction. So give the old traditions one last go-round — one last grand hurrah.

It’s possible, of course, that some people will translate these influences through a darkly clouded filter and fall into self-pity, taking things personally, or feeling victimized, unappreciated or unloved. If you sense yourself succumbing to any of these, stop. Pull yourself out and do something nurturing, for yourself first of all. The loving and healing possibilities of this Full Moon are not to be squandered.

Use this Full Moon to experience and explore what makes you feel safe, secure and loved. Spend time on activities that feed your soul and let everything else go. (That impulse is why so many people have gone into this season deliberately shelving all kinds of activities that once filled their schedules.) Enjoy this time, its traditions, gatherings and sharing food (don’t fight it; indulge), and the people you care about. Let people off the hook – your parents, your kids, your siblings — and do the same for yourself. Be present in this holiday season like you have never been before.

May sweetness, tenderness and abiding love be yours.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like — well, hard to say what. All bets are off. Including your previous experience of Christmastime. Home is where the heart is, and boy howdy is the heart after sweetness. Let your inner kid go for it. Adult you has plenty of time to come back to the fore.

As turmoil, violence and divisiveness escalate to jaw-dropping proportions, the Sagittarius New Moon invites us to look at and broaden our outlook on life.

Beliefs, laws, national boundaries, foreigners, religious and ethical teachings, prejudices, and the role of higher education and big media are all up for attention and a fresh look now. None are theoretical topics, but highly active factors, individually and collectively. They’re taking wildly exaggerated form now, which has two noteworthy effects. Their cartoonish appearance makes them impossible to miss or ignore. And so are their real-world impact and ramifications.

This year’s edition of the Sag New Moon is being pumped up by a hard angle to the sign’s ruler, Jupiter. The king of the gods ups any action he approaches, and his bellows are certainly one of the forces behind the current epidemic of blowhards. He’s coaxing out the more extreme potentials of Sagittarius, the fringes where adventure and willingness to explore cross over into self-righteousness, intellectual superiority, “My way or the highway” and co-opting the term “patriot” to condemn anyone who disagrees.

Jupiter’s not all hot air, though. He also has a bent for beneficence, warm-heartedness and optimism, all of which are beaming into and amplifying the New Moon’s potentials as well. Staying near that side of the fire will make it easier to hang on to a positive attitude, the ability to see the good in people and the inclination to look for a silver lining, no matter what. Useful questions to contemplate in the next month: How could I learn more? How could I clean up and improve my thinking? My attitude? My beliefs? How could I broaden my experience of the world? Where could I go that I haven’t yet? What if I were to consider someone else’s point of view?

Be on the lookout for indications of how well (or not) what you think to be true lines up with what you’re seeing and experiencing in the world. If there’s a disconnect, this Moon is an appropriate time for tinkering, either on the end of your beliefs or your beliefs in action.

Easier said than done, of course, especially in the current disorienting atmosphere. This is the first Sagittarius New Moon since the mid-80s with Saturn in its sign. Although they are not touching, Saturn’s presence does serve as a grounding cord, pulling all of the associated issues and influences down onto the earth — and imposing consequences and ramifications in practical, mundane terms.

The Moon takes place while a clash is still reverberating between Saturn, the lord of rules, order and mundane reality, and Neptune, the lord of formlessness, transcendence and illusion. That pair is whipping up confusion, sending the cosmic fog machine onto overdrive (with authority figures’ hands on the switch), and escalating situations where we have been fooling or lying to ourselves. Like Jupiter’s input, this pair offers positive potentials, too, of course. Wisdom and enlightenment are by-products. So are dreams coming into physical form. They are unfolding ever so painstakingly, on a time table no mortal intelligence can control or rush.

Open your mind to what is blossoming and gather whatever information, learning or expanded perspective supports that. Those endeavors will occupy your mind constructively while you encounter and explore other aspects of this New Moon. The configuration around it lights up issues of integrity, personal responsibility and consequences. One of the themes of last month’s Gemini Full Moon continues: Ideas are not mere theories; they have an impact on the physical world, and on people’s lives. Words do have the power to hurt.

On a personal level, how are your beliefs playing out around you? Are they supporting or hurting you? Other people? Looking at the question from the opposite direction, what does the state of your life say about your beliefs?

Once you embark on an inquiry like this, it will be impossible to not move it out from beyond your immediate experience of life. The clamor is deafening on the collective level, with public figures in this country making extreme proclamations that put into question what we believe to be true about ourselves as a people, and as people. The public conversation includes a presidential candidate arguing for closing the borders to one religious group and uprooting and deporting residents who belong to it; other candidates aligning with a minister who preaches death to gays; a Supreme Court Justice stating that one race is too slow to attend quality universities; and a self-identified Christian legislator proposing to personally gun down refugees.

All are examples of the amped-up Sagittarius New Moon and the Saturn/Neptune square in action. This Moon raises questions of mundane consequences for beliefs, the responsible transmission of beliefs and ideas via the media and, on a fundamental level, whether our ground rules (the First Amendment, the legality of abortion, civil rights, the very Constitution) still fit or whether circumstances warrant ignoring, breaking or changing them. And if that’s the case, what that means for or says about the real nature of this country.

With the Sagittarius New Moon, these instances are not just stories in the news. They are calls for attention and action. We may not be in the position to pull the plug on someone’s mic. We may not have the power to shut down hate- and violence-inducing speech. We do have the power to examine our own beliefs, our own ways of living, our own attitudes about people who are different from us. We also have the right to consider what kind of a society and country we want to live in – and respond without reinforcing or escalating the negative. We can endeavor to see the terror and loss of control on the part of the people who preach violence, hate and fear, and the people who buy it. We can commit not to add to the panic, the fear, the hate, the demonizing, the pain, the cruelty, the absolute terror. We can tidy up our little nook in this universe, no matter how tiny that may be. We can strive to treat people with respect, dignity and compassion, and to live in optimism, integrity and warm-heartedness. And keep our spark burning bright for others to see and join.

Warning: Pay attention.Proceed with caution. Forces are afoot that further your long-germ goals — and also stir anger, accidents and violence. May as well choose love. It’ll find you in some form by the weekend.